RALSTON, Neb. — A community and fire department colleagues are rallying behind a firefighter in need of a double lung transplant.
WOWT.com reported that firefighter Mike Bramhall, with the Ralston (Neb.) Fire Department, was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at four months old. He’s currently on a waiting list for a double lung transplant. If a match is found, Bramhall will spend two weeks in the hospital after surgery and one to three months of rehab.
“I’m on medical leave, so I’m not responding on-call. I still come down here and hang out with the guys, they’re my family. My best friends,” Bramhall said. “It’s hard. I’m going to be right back here where I belong.”
Bramhall said he will have to move to Cleveland or Pittsburgh once he makes it on the transplant list and take up residency from there until his rehab is done, according to the report.
Friends, family and colleagues are working to raise $100,000 to help Bramhall pay his medical bills. A donation fund through the Children’s Organ Transplant Association has been set up to help him pay for the costs.
A fundraiser will also be held from 1-4 p.m. at the Ralston Fire Station on April 17.